Page 12 of Exposed
“Are you ready?”
Kace tore his gaze away from the display. “Yeah.”
Again, they linked fingers and headed out. “Since you don’t work tomorrow, would you like to stay at my place tonight? I could make you breakfast for once.”
“You could do that at my place anytime you want, but sure.”
Jamison smiled.
Kace tried not to focus on the fact that Jamison hadn’t given him the ring. The negative thoughts tried creeping in again. Maybe he had changed his mind.
They rode to Jamison’s house with the music loud. They sang along and Kace tried to push all the destructive thoughts from his head. No matter what, he had a great life. He couldn’t and wouldn’t complain. Jamison was every bit as goofy as him. Neither of them could sing, but they tried and didn’t laugh at each other. Since they started dating, Kace’s life had been… easy. He didn’t know how else to describe the way Jamison’s calm demeanor just soothed something in his soul that made everything feel so damn simple.
At Jamison’s place—a small rental at the edge of town—Jamison rushed to help him from the truck before grabbing all their shopping bags. Kace shook his head at the way Jamison acted, like he was helpless. While Jamison stuffed gifts in the closet, Kace hit the bathroom. Since they were always at each other’s houses, Kace had a toothbrush, and a pair of pajamas pants stashed in there. Kace ran through his nightly routine, getting ready for bed. They probably still had a couple of hours of unwinding, but he wanted to be comfortable. When he came out, he found white Christmas lights tossed everywhere in an obvious rush, creating a romantic glow in the darkness. Jamison waited on one knee.
A smile exploded across Kace’s face.
“Will you marry me?”
“I’ve already said yes, but it’s still yes.”
With a laugh, Jamison pushed to his feet. He put the ring on Kace’s finger. “I wanted to propose properly and give you another chance to change your mind.”
Kace didn’t bother arguing about how the answer would always be yes. He dove straight into the kiss he wanted to seal the deal. They would always be happy. Kace would make damn sure of that.
Chapter Seven
Itwassodamneasy to sleep like the dead with Jamison holding him—no matter where they slept. It took entirely too much shouting and banging to pull Kace from his dreams. Eventually, the violent sounds penetrated his sleep. The bed was empty. Breaking glass sounded through the house. Kace shot from the bed. He darted toward the sound, expecting to find Jamison fighting with an intruder. Kace skidded to a stop as he reached the living room. His kitchen and living room were one open space. Jamison was in the kitchen area, trashing the place like he tossed a stranger’s house. The living room had already been torn to shreds.
“Holy shit! What’s going on?”
Jamison whipped around at the question—gun in hand and pointed straight at Kace. His eyes were dead. He wasn’t there. “Who are you? Why are you here?”
Kace’s pulse pounded louder in his ears. He could barely breathe with his heart racing too fast. Kace held up his hands. Even though he could see the gun had a gun lock on it, Jamison stood in the middle of a kitchen full of knives. Plus, he was twice Kace’s size. “Come back to me, Jamison.”
“How do you know my name? Who sent you?”
Kace jumped at the screamed questions. He desperately tried to stay calm. “It’s Kace, baby. Come back to me.”
“Kace?” Jamison turned his head from side to side and squinted as if trying to find Kace in a crowd. “Are you okay? Where are they keeping you?”
“I’m right here, baby. Look at me.”
Jamison blinked. Then he blinked again. “Kace.” He watched Jamison slowly come back to himself. He looked at his hand and dropped the gun like it was on fire. “Oh, my god. Holy shit. What did I do?” He looked horrified and ready to break down.
Kace rushed to the door and quickly stamped into his shoes. “Don’t move, baby.” He grabbed Jamison’s shoes and hurried to his side. “Put these on.” He practically lifted Jamison’s feet one foot at a time and dressed him like he would a toddler.
“What did I do?”
The horrified whisper calmed Kace like nothing else could have done. He was accustomed to handling emergencies and mental health crises. That was his forte. “I’ve got you, baby. You’re okay. There’s glass everywhere so don’t move, all right? Let me clean up.”
Jamison stood perfectly still, staring into space as if shocked into a statue like state.
Kace grabbed the broom and swept around him, getting the worst of the glass.
“I could’ve killed you. This could’ve been your place.”
His voice sounded so broken. “You left me behind safely in bed. It’s obvious you never would’ve hurt me. This is just stuff. It’s replaceable.”
